breaking hearts (I've got broken parts)
by AlwaysPadfoot
Summary: Lorcan stays well away from his soulmate.


**AN:** Prompts will be displayed at the bottom to avoid them potentially giving away things.

* * *

 **breaking hearts (I've got broken parts)**

 **AlwaysPadfoot**

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Lorcan wakes up on his eleventh birthday with words written on his arm.

 _The sheep are escaping._

He blinks sleep out of his eyes and turns to his brother, who is all snuggled up in his sleeping bag. He can just about see his brother's blonde hair sticking up in tuffs; the rest of him is encompassed in his insulated cocoon. Lorcan nudges him gently in the back: once, twice, and then a third time.

"I'm sleeping, Lorcan," Lysander mumbles.

"Well, you're not now," Lorcan replies, nudging his twin again in the back.

Sandy pokes his head out from his sleeping bag and looks across him through bleary eyes. Holding up his arm for him to see, Lorcan hopes his brother can offer some explanation. Lysander squints at the words in the half-light of the tent.

"The sheep are escaping," he reads. "That's nice."

And then, without another word, Lorcan's brother turns over and falls back to sleep in a matter of milliseconds. It leaves him baffled.

He resolves to ask Mum at breakfast.

 **oOo**

Over the years some of Lorcan's favourite lines that his soulmate cooks up in his imagination include: _what the hell are you doing with that cucumber, how many daisies do I need to make a chain,_ and _fuck me with a cactus, that was the worst hour of my life_.

That being said, during most of his years at Hogwarts, he never actively seeks out the genius behind some of the most hilarious sayings he has ever come across. He knows, if he does, the illusion will be ruined. Lorcan has no interest in relationships and no interest in sex. He can hardly come to terms with his oddities himself; he would never expect someone else to. He prefers to enjoy his _soulmate's_ odd sense of humour from afar.

It's the only way his feelings won't get hurt.

It's the only way that the person that Lorcan's supposed to love won't get let down.

 **oOo**

Lorcan is busying himself with his Head Boy duties and heaps of homework on the day his soulmate reveals themselves. He has a feeling something's going to happen today. That's mainly because the words on his arm read as bitterly sarcastic.

 _Didn't see a soulmate coming, did you?_

There's a sense of impending doom with every word.

Therefore he's hiding deep in the Restricted Section, slaving over a potions essay. He isn't even aware of curfew coming and going until a shadow is cast across his table. Frowning, he looks up to see Fred Weasley, standing there. He's holding out his arm. The words are white against the soft brown of his skin and the hairs on the back of Lorcan's neck raise when he reads them.

 _Don't doubt my ability to make sure you spend the rest of your Hogwarts career in detention._

"Well, shit," Lorcan says.

"Didn't see a soulmate coming, did you?"

Lorcan was right; Fred does say it bitterly. The blonde acts calm and collected, but inside he's freaking the fuck out.

 **oOo**

Lorcan manages to avoid Fred for a whole month after the big reveal.

He refuses to admit he's terrified. Hiding away under the pretence that he's studying for their N.E.W.T exams seems like the most feasible plan. Unfortunately, Lysander sees straight through his bullshit facade and calls him on it.

"I'll sort it, tomorrow," Lorcan tells him at first. "Promise."

"That's a piecrust promise," Lysander responds as though Lorcan should know what the hell that meant. Upon noticing his confusion, he adds, "easily made, easily broken."

"I'll send him an owl or something," Lorcan says, trying to be dismissive

"It's always easier to resolve conflicts face to face."

Lorcan sighs, unable to look his brother in the eyes. He knows Lysander's right; he knows he has to at least attempt to fix this.

Fred is going to hate him.

 **oOo**

Lorcan inhales deeply before rounding the corner and approaching the table that Fred's sat at alone.

"Hey," he says tentatively.

Fred looks up. His eyes narrow instantly and Lorcan shrinks at the expression on his face. Of course, Fred has every right to angry with him and Lorcan speaks quickly before his _soulmate_ could say something

"You've every right to be pissed, but just let me try and explain." Lorcan takes another deep breath to keep his voice from shaking. "I always thought I'd grow to want love the same way everyone else does, but the truth is I'm just not interested. I'm not interested in a romantic relationship, nor am I interested in sex. Comically, I love the random things you say that appear on my arm, but I vowed to steer clear of finding the source — finding you."

"Why?" Fred asks, his expression unreadable.

"So neither of us got hurt."

 **oOo**

Both of them do get hurt more than once.

In the process of trying to figure out what sort of soulmates they want to be, there are tears, there are fights, and there is heartbreak.

After Hogwarts, Lorcan leaves and he travels the world. When he comes home, Fred is married. Everything he was scared of as a teenager is happening. In Fred's eyes, he isn't good enough. Lorcan's too weird — too fucked up. Because he isn't interested in a normal relationship, Fred's moved on, and when he finds out it breaks his heart.

Lysander tries to get him to stay, but Lorcan can't do it. Before he leaves, he pays for a Muggle tattoo Artist to create a sleeve for his right arm.

He covers up Fred's words for good.

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 **Comps and Prompts**

 **Romance Awareness:** Day 2 - Every night you receive a message about a random sentence your soulmate has said that day.

 **LiM:** Lorcan/Fredii

 **IHC:** 977\. Emotion - Nervous

 **365:** 260\. Sexuality - Asexual

 **WC — Character Appreciation** — 13. Title: Head Boy

 **WC — Disney Challenge** — Q5. "That's a piecrust promise. Easily made, easily broken."

 **WC — Showtime** — 9. Making Things Up Again - (word) Imagination

 **WC — Amber's Attic** — G2. Write about someone getting a tattoo (not the Dark Mark) (5 bonus points)

 **WC — Ami's Audio Admirations** — 5. Top 40 Singles — Write a fic where the main theme is not about romance.

 **WC — Em's Emporium** — 11. Emiliya (Emiliya Wolfe): (quote) "It's always easier to resolve conflicts face to face."

 **Word Count:** 936


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